Process for the treatment of textile materials



Patented Jan. 3, 1939 v UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF TEXTILE MATERIALS John Rex Whinfleld, Manchester, England, assignor to The Calico Printers Association Limited, Manchester, England, a British company No Drawing. Application August 17, 1937, Serial 1 Claim.

cotton and regenerated cellulose rayon, but ex- In Great Britain November 8,

creasing when crumpled, and has become less shrinkable on washing. In the case where the material has been given a mechanical treatment such as embossing after impregnating anddry- 5 eluding cellulose esters, with the object of rendering and before treating in the acidified salt solu- 5 ing such materials less liable to creasing and to tion it willbe found that the mechanically pro-' shrinking on washing, and of rendering eflects duced effect withstands washing, although this produced by mechanical means on such materials would not be the case if such washing treatment fast to washing. were applied to the cloths before treatment with My invention comprises the impregnation of the acidified salt solution. 10

the textile materials with a neutral aqueous solu- The above results are achieved without the tion of a primary water soluble condensation necessity for a specific treatment of the material product of urea or a derivative thereof with format a high or relatively high temperature. aldehyde, drying and conditioning them, sub- Example jecting them to a mechanical treatment in order l5 to modify their appearance and thereafter work- A Viscose rayon ab cis impregnated with an ing them in and impregnating them with a cold aqueous solution cfintaining y Weight concentrated acidified solution of a salt having a dimethylol u e d 0f formaldehyde Strong afllnlty for water t; without a pecific solution. This solution is strictly neutral and 20 swelling action on cellulose. By these means any contains no catalyst 01 any kind- It is then dried. 20

eflect produced by a mechanical impress such conditioned and passed through an embossing as embossed, schreinered or glazed effects, can be calender whereby it mceives figured P rendered fast to washing without the necessity Afterwards the cloth is Padded in a cold q ous for employlng any high temperature t treab solution of calcium chloride containing 60 grams ment; in order further to polymerize the primary 0! anhydrous calcium chloride in 100 00. of 80111- 25 condensation product tion and 1.5% by volume Of 28% hydrochloric The nature and concentration of the salt soluacid- The cloth thus impregnated is a d to tion are such that it exerts little or no swelling he for not less t fifteen minutes, either in action on the material when the latter is imfolds wound on roller, and is then Washed 3o mersed therein at room temperature. A suitable first through water .renderedslighfly alkaline 30 salt is calcium chloride and a suitable eoncenwith ammonia- Blld finally soap a d ed. A5

-g 600 gm, m other sales which a result of the above treatment, the crease rebe advantageously employed are magneslu n and sistance Of material be found to have alr'ninium chlorides. There is room for conbeen markedly enhanced, and the figured pattern steerable latitude in respect to concentration and will be mundto have been rendered Permanent 35 considerable latitude is also allowable as to the washingtime during which the material remains in con- The teljm nditioning" as employed in this mm; t t saline 1 m which may be any specification is intended to have its ordinary period from a few minutes upwards w the technical significance, namely, as meaning the 40 ti t specified very atisfa t ry results imparting to textile material of a sufllcient mois- 40 may be Obtained when t period f immersion ture content to make it responsive to subsequent is about ten minutes. The salt solution contains fcondmomng is essential when the a small proportion of free acid for example fabl'lc is to be sllbJeeted to a mechanical treatgm hydrochloric a per litre, or a somewhat ment such as calendering, embossing or the like,

larger quantity of a weaker acid such as acetic which would tend to out the fibre if the latter 45 acid, were not rendered plastic by absorption of a sui- After treating the textile material with the ficient quantity of water- BY "mechanical treat" acidified salt solution, the excess of calcium chloment" is meant n operation such as embossing, ride or other salt used is removed by washing schremermg glazing the like- 1 carried first with cold water. After this the material out e calender of a suitable im which 1111- so may be soaped at an elevated temperature or parts to the surface of the fabric a distinctive given any other suitable washing treatment. ppe by the action Pressure. P essure It will be found that by the employment of the and friction, and heat. above described process the textile material has What I claim is: acquired a satisfactory degree of resistance to A process for the treatment of textile materials of natural or regenerated cellulose which comprises impregnating the textile materials with a neutral aqueous solution of a primary condensation compound of urea or a derivative thereof with formaldehyde, drying the textile material, conditioning it and subjecting it to a mechanical treatment to modify its appearance, working the impregnated and mechanically treated material in or impregnating it with a cold, concentrated acidified solution of a salt of the group consisting or calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, and aluminium chloride, and later washing and dry- JOHN REX WHINFIELD. 

